a really awesome mess (trish cook and brendan halpine)

Two teenagers. Two very bumpy roads taken that lead to Heartland Academy. Justin was just having fun, but when his dad walked in on him with a girl in a very compromising position, Justin’s summer took a quick turn for the worse. His parents’ divorce put Justin on rocky mental ground, and after a handful of Tylenol lands him in the hospital, he has really hit rock bottom.Emmy never felt like part of her family. She was adopted from China. Her parents and sister tower over her and look like they came out of a Ralph Lauren catalog– and Emmy definitely doesn’t. After a scandalous photo of Emmy leads to vicious rumors around school, she threatens the boy who started it all on Facebook.Justin and Emmy arrive at Heartland Academy, a reform school that will force them to deal with their issues, damaged souls with little patience for authority. But along the way they will find a ragtag group of teens who are just as broken, stubborn, and full of sarcasm as themselves. In the end, they might even call each other friends.A funny, sad, and remarkable story, A Really Awesome Mess is a journey of friendship and self-discovery that teen readers will surely sign up for.

With some of the best characters I’ve read in a loooong time, A REALLY AWESOME MESS is, in a word, awesome. And messy. Wow, is it messy. If you’re squeamish and don’t like a dip into the ugly side of teen messiness, don’t go here. The authors don’t sugar-coat a thing.

Gritty and ugly, A REALLY AWESOME MESS dives into the lives of Emmy and Justin (split narrative between them). They’re both in serious trouble. Emmy is anorexic and Justin has psychotic depression. As a last resort, their parents pack them off to a boarding school/prison so they can get “sorted out”. Nice. I’m eternally thankful no one exploded into werewolves, grew gaudy super powers, or found the portal to another world. The second someone says “boarding school” I get worried what will ensue. But no! This is actually (somewhat) like reality! Instead of turning the depressed, struggling teens into superheroes, they’re actually just human beings. Screwed up human beings, but still.

Writing? Brilliant. I loved the voices of Emmy and Justin. They were real, and very compelling. I did get their chapters mixed up sometimes, though. I think the voices were too similar. Justin lost a lot of impact midway and only picked up in the middle. It didn’t have to do with his character, it was the way he was written. Emmy’s voice just outshone him. Also, there is a lot of swearing. Not a sprinkle, I mean, a LOT.

Characters? Ohmygosh, these are brilliant characters. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book and loved every character. We have a mottly grew of screw-ups in the school. Emmy: the anorexic. Justin: the depressant. Diane: the psycho. Tracy: the compulsive liar. Chip: the addicted gamer. Jenny: with selective mutism. Usually I forget characters’ names, or personalities, or just wish they weren’t there to detract from the story. But every. single. one of these characters are brilliant. I loved them all! They were real (and screwed up, seriously now) and funny and I could easily have read more about them. But the book ended. Darn it.

Plot? The only thing I come unstuck on is the pig. Okay, it’s cute they stole a pig and kept it secret. But in a security max school? Really? It was all so realistic until the pig. (No spoilers, so I won’t say more.) Also, the swearing and sexual innuendos were in excess. The book attempts to deal with heavy themes. Does it succeed? In a way. But I really think it brushed over the surface where it would have been interesting to go way deeper. I loved the writing and the characters, but I thought, with all the dark themes, it should have resolved more.

Psychotic, dark, and gritty, A REALLY AWESOME MESS sums up itself in the title.

cait is thinking about zip-lining right now and how she feels like trying it. (tree climbing, peoples, extreme tree climbing.) she is also congratulating herself on being up-to-speed on her goodreads reading challenge (she was 6 books behind at one stage). because of said congratulations, she wants a chocolate chip biscuit. you may have one too.